Biography
Who is Harry Shum Jr.?
Early life and background
Harry Shum Jr. Was born on April 28, 1982, in Limón, Costa Rica. His parents were Chinese immigrants, with his mother coming from Hong Kong and his father originating from Enping, China. The family relocated to Costa Rica, where Harry and his two older sisters were born. When he was six years old, the family moved to San Francisco, California.
Harry has spoken about his multicultural upbringing, noting that Spanish was his first language before he learned Cantonese and English. He attended Arroyo Grande High School in San Luis Obispo County, California, where he graduated in 2000. While he initially focused on sports and theater, he discovered a passion for dance after auditioning for his high school dance team. He briefly attended San Francisco State University before deciding to leave to pursue a professional career in dance.
Career in dance and early acting
Harry began his professional dance career in Los Angeles. At age 18, he was selected by choreographers Rosero McCoy and Jamal Sims to tour the United Kingdom with singer Kaci. He steadily grew his profile, working as a backup dancer for major musical artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, and Jessica Simpson. He also appeared in music videos for Destiny's Child and Mariah Carey and was featured in a series of iPod advertisements.
In 2008, he transitioned into acting with roles in the films Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D. He gained significant exposure for his role as Mike Chang on the Fox series Glee, which ran from 2009 to 2015. Initially a background character, his role expanded during the second season due to positive audience feedback. He also performed as a dancer and choreographer for the group The LXD.
Television and film success
Between 2016 and 2019, Harry starred as the warlock Magnus Bane in the Freeform series Shadowhunters, which was based on the book series The Mortal Instruments. His performance contributed to the show winning a GLAAD Media Award. In 2018, he won the Male TV Star award at the E! People's Choice Awards for this role. He later joined the cast of the long-running medical drama Grey's Anatomy in 2022 as Dr. Benson Kwan.
His film work includes appearances in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians. In 2022, he appeared in the Academy Award-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once. He has also expanded into voiceover work, contributing to projects such as the podcast Echo Park, the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, and the DC Studios film Legion of Super-Heroes. In 2024, he portrayed a drag queen in the short film Shimmer.
Personal life
Harry married actress and dancer Shelby Rabara in 2015. The couple had begun their relationship in 2007 and became engaged while vacationing in Hawaii in 2013. Their wedding took place in Costa Rica. They have one daughter together named Xia, who was born in 2019.
Birthday and age
Harry Shum Jr. was born on April 28, 1982, which makes Harry 44 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Harry shares the date with 38 other famous people.
Explore more
